Saturday Night Bartending
by Klaaaaaaine
Summary: Kurt needs a little advice...


**A/N: **The majority of the last six months, for me, have been spent here reading as much Klaine fanfiction as I can get in. So now I'm contributing my part. I hope you enjoy, and I'll probably be posting some of my other works as well. Reviews, good or bad, would be greatly appreciated. :)

Blaine listened to the chatter of the Saturday night crowd as he wiped the countertop of the sleek bar. He enjoyed his weekend job of being a bartender- his night shift was good, since he preferred taking long naps through the day. He also enjoyed meeting and talking to the different people that came in.

Ben was a regular customer, a tall man who always wore a tired expression on his face. He slowly climbed up on the stool in front of Blaine as he turned around to get the man his usual scotch.

"How's it goin', Ben?" the late-twenties bartender asked.

"Oh, Blaine. I just-" 'gulp' "need a drink. And someone to talk to."

"I'm here," Blaine said, leaning on his elbows as the drinking man went on about his troubles. His current girlfriend, Emily, had apparently dumped him the evening prier, and he arrived late for work that Saturday morning. He almost got fired, and from then on, his day only got worse.

"Then Kendra, my assistant, bailed on our lunch. I have anxiety issues, and being in public by myself just scares me to death. So I didn't even get lunch until five o'clock!" The man sighed, taking a swig from his third glass. "Well, I think I'm good now. What about you? Got anything going on in life right now?"

Blaine smiled at the man, pouring him another glass. "Not really. Just working on some music, still trying to figure out what I wanna do with my life."

Ben nodded understandingly. "You're still young- do what you want. Have passion, find real love." He smirked, thinking of his ex, presumably. "So, have a girlfriend?"

Blaine wasn't very tall, but still considered handsome. He had dark curly hair that he liked to let loose, but back in the days when he attended a private school he would gel it to perfection. He also had hazel eyes, with a hint of green that numerous men had fallen for, but they never mattered. They just weren't right.

Blaine chuckled. "Actually, I'm trying to find myself a boyfriend." The younger man took the risk of telling the customer his sexual orientation, because he'd finally learned that no one's opinions truly mattered. All that mattered was how he felt. Also, once Blaine moved to New York, he found many more accepting people there, rather than in Westerville, where he'd been bullied as a teenager, before he'd even come out.

Ben obviously didn't care who Blaine chose to like. "Hmm. Well that's good. A serious relationship ought to help show you what you really want. I'll let you know if I know anyone who I think would be good for you." With that, Ben stood, pulled a twenty from his wallet and waved as he headed through the door.

Blaine enjoyed talking to Ben, even if most of the time it was just about how much their lives sucked. Ben never judged him, and though he only saw him once a week, it was good to have that person where he could just lay everything out to.

After serving a couple more drinks and collecting his tips, Blaine checked his phone. He had three more hours of his shift left. He never had too many customers so early in the morning, so he was used to the comfortable silence that approached.

After wiping the counter once again, he hopped over it and looked out the windows and front door. When he saw that no one was in sight on the street, he sprinted for the restroom.

After relieving himself and checking his appearance in the mirror, he returned to the bar, only to be caught off guard by a man slumped in a stool. His head was resting on his folded arms on the countertop, and he looked like he was truly asleep.

'Weird', he thought as he walked through the swaying door that led behind the bar. When it slammed shut, the man bolted upright in fright.

"Shit. Sorry, I didn't mean to-" Blaine started as he walked closer to the man, admiring his perfectly coiffed chestnut hair.

The man's eyes widened. He shook his head, "Oh, no. It's fine. Just, really tired."

Blaine nodded. "Can I get you a drink?"

The man hesitated, then, "I know this is a bar, but you wouldn't happen to have any water, would you?"

Blaine chuckled. He leaned under the counter into the mini fridge. The water was mainly for emergencies- power outages, snow storms and whatnot. But people rarely asked for water, and there was plenty.

"Thanks," the man said, grabbing it off the counter. He unscrewed the lid, and put the bottle to his lips. After a few gulps, he put the bottle back down on the counter and looked up, only to find the bartender still staring at him.

Once their eyes connected, the bartender looked down to his hands, interlocking them. He cleared his throat. "I haven't seen you around before. You live in this part of New York?"

The man smiled. "Yeah, I actually live in the apartment building around the block. I just had a really bad evening, and stumbled here, I guess."

Blaine grinned, knowing what would come, as always. "The other guys that come in here will tell you I'm a great listener, if you wanna talk about whatever's happening."

The man didn't look shocked- just confused. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't know if telling a stranger about my problems is exactly the best thing to do."

The bartender only kept up his charming smile. "I'm Blaine," he said, reaching out his hand. The customer took it hesitantly, and Blaine thought of how cold his hand was. Probably from the water bottle. _But that doesn't explain how_ smooth _it is._

After they released their hands, Blaine continued. "Not a stranger anymore."

The man shrugged. "True, but I'm still a stranger to you. For all you know, I could be a psychopath from Venezuela."

Blaine dropped his head, giving up. Why did he want to know what was going on with this man so bad?

A chuckle erupted from the man, and then, "Kurt." Blaine looked up. "My name's Kurt."

"It's nice to meet you, Kurt," he smirked. "So, life troubles?"

Kurt sighed. "There's no getting around this one, is there?" Blaine shook his head. "Well, I guess it started today- or yesterday. I don't know, what time is it?"

Blaine pulled out his phone. A little over two hours left. "Two-thirty."

Kurt nodded. "So yesterday, around six. I was having dinner with my boyfriend...I guess I should go ahead and ask, so I don't take the risk of a homophobic attack, you don't have a problem with gay people, do you?"

Blaine shook his head. He wasn't sure if he should be excited that Kurt was gay, or sad that Kurt already had a boyfriend. 'Just get over it. He's only a customer. He wouldn't want you anyway.' "No. I'm gay, too. Not a lot of people like us come strolling in here."

Kurt snorted. "Well, this isn't exactly a gay bar, is it? This doesn't seem like the typical drag queen hang-out. Anyways, we were having dinner, talking about I don't even remember what, because the next thing I know, he's down on one knee.

"I was excited. I was happy. But I was scared. I'm not even thirty yet, and all of a sudden it feels as if my life is just flashing by." He took a sip of water, and then looked at Blaine. "You don't think it's too soon for marriage, do you? Or too late?"

Blaine shrugged. "I guess it just depends on how life is. But most importantly, you know yourself.

Kurt gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

Blaine thought of how he should word what he wanted to say. "I guess what I mean is, you've got to love yourself before you can be expected to love someone else for the rest of your life. You need to meet your needs, and find out what you want to do for yourself."

Kurt nodded, and it looked like he was really thinking about what Blaine had said. "I guess I made the right decision, then."

"What did you say after he proposed?" Blaine asked. He was extremely curious.

"I told him that I wasn't ready for the commitment." Kurt chuckled, shaking his head. "Everything you said, that's exactly how I felt in that moment. Erin and I, we've been dating for two years. We know practically everything about each other, we're grown men, and yet I couldn't take that step." Kurt hung his head.

"Hey, it's okay. I haven't been in a serious relationship in a good ten years, and that was when I was in high school! I can't even imagine be married right now. If this guy really loved you, he'd understand and wait until you're ready."

Kurt sighed. "That's what I thought. But there he was, on his knee in a restaurant, with everyone watching us, and I'd rejected him."

"But you didn't. You said you just weren't ready."

"But that's not how he took it. Yeah, at the restaurant, he just brushed it off and made it look like I said yes to those people. Afterwards, while we were walking home, he asked me why. I told him that there were just things I still needed to work on before being in such a commitment, and he said that we were already a commitment."

Kurt took another sip of water, and Blaine waited patiently. "Then, he started getting angry. He started yelling, asking if the past wasn't as serious to me as it was to him. I told him of course it was, but marriage was just a step I wasn't ready to take yet!"

Kurt was shouting the story then, reliving the moment in his mind. Blaine could see the tears beginning to shine in his eyes. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. Just take a minute. Have some more water."

Kurt nodded, and took a long sip of water once Blaine released his shoulder. "Thanks," he said breathlessly. "I guess it was tough. Sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for," Blaine said with a sincere look. "So do you want to tell me the rest?"

Kurt nodded, and after another sip of water, he continued. "I'd told him if he couldn't understand my reasoning, we should just take a break. He said screw that, and that he was done with me, and he walked away."

He took a deep breath, and the two looked at each other in silence. It was Blaine who spoke first. "So, do you think he'll come back?"

Kurt chuckled. "Erin's always been the leader of our relationship. I've been the little puppy dog he kept on a leash. If he wants me back, he'll come around eventually and demand sex or something like that. That's how most of our fights ended. But I won't go back. I need a relationship where I can actually be apart of it."

Blaine smiled. "But before that?"

"I need to get myself in check," Kurt said, almost smiling, "and love myself. Figure out what it is I really need." Kurt dipped the remains of his water in his mouth, finishing off the bottle. "How much for the water?"

"On the house," Blaine said, snatching the bottle and throwing it in the trash bin.

Kurt smiled. "Thanks. For everything."

"Don't mention it," Blaine said. "So, how'd you end up here this early in the morning?"

Kurt sighed. "I've just been in my apartment for the past few hours, trying to clear my head, crying. But the pictures of him hanging on the walls and all of his stuff boxed up everywhere- he was slowly moving in, since he stayed the night a lot anyways- it just kept reminding me of him. I needed to get away, where I could forget."

Blaine looked down, interlocking his hands again. A habit he'd picked up for whenever he got nervous. "I guess making you talk didn't really help."

"No. It actually made me feel better," he looked at Kurt, and the man was almost smiling to himself. "Talking about it out loud to someone has actually only helped me reassure myself that I made the right decision."

Blaine nodded. "Well, I know my opinion doesn't really matter, but I know you made the right decision. If it's meant to be, I guess fate or whatever will bring you guys together. I know that's cliché, but-"

"No," Kurt interrupted, "that's just what I needed to hear." He climbed off the stool, and slipped a dollar out of his pocket.

"I told you, the water was free," Blaine interjected.

"Then a tip," Kurt slid the dollar into Blaine's pocket on the front of his shirt, and headed for the door.

Blaine called as the customer reached the door. "Um, Kurt?"

The man turned around, glasz eyes glimmering at the bartender. "Hmm?"

Blaine smiled. _Don't freak out. You say this to all the customers._ "Come back soon."

Kurt nodded, smiled graciously, then he was out on the chilly New York streets.

'All the special customers.'


End file.
